Computers have become highly integrated in the workforce, in the home, and in mobile devices. Computers can process massive amounts of information quickly and efficiently. Software applications designed to run on computer systems allow users to perform a wide variety of functions including business applications, schoolwork, entertainment and more. Software applications are often designed to perform specific tasks, such as word processor applications for drafting documents, or email programs for sending, receiving and organizing email.
In some cases, software applications can be used to generate, edit and display data in the form of models. For example, models may be used by businesses and other entities to describe processes, systems, entities and other information. Some models may be referred to as flow diagrams, process flows, flowcharts, process diagrams and/or control charts. Others may be referred to as lists, tables, pie charts, or other forms of categorizing and displaying data. In some cases, models may be used to illustrate organizational relationships between the elements of a system. These models are often referred to as organizational charts. In a broader sense, models may be used to show any type of relationship information between different objects.
Many times, however, software programs configured to generate, display and edit data are limited by the type of data. For example, software programs are often hard-coded to be able to generate, edit or navigate certain types of data but not others. Furthermore, data categorization and display may be limited to certain layouts or display forms based on the type of data. Thus, computer-run software applications used to generate, view, edit or navigate models, data sets or other information, may rely on data type to determine which functionality will be available to the end user.